All earthquakes
1.2
very light
EARTHQUAKE DETAILS

9 km North of Rodi Garganico

36 months ago · 15 Sept, 21:52

A very light earthquake, probably not felt by people. At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

Stronger than 47% of Italian events in the past year

Where

9 km North of Rodi GarganicoEarthquakes in the province of FoggiaEarthquakes in Puglia

How far away could it be felt?

A quake this small is usually not felt by people: only seismographs record it.

Statistical estimate from the Italian intensity attenuation model (INGV): actual perception depends on geology, buildings and depth. Very shallow events can be felt locally even below the threshold.

Earthquake map

16 events
Magnitude:lightweakmoderatestrong

The energy released

How much energy this quake unleashed, translated into everyday comparisons.

1.0kgof TNT equivalent
Less than the energy of a lightning bolt
M3
A magnitude 3 earthquake releases ×501 its energy
M0this quakeM2

Each extra magnitude unit releases about 32 times more energy: an M5 is not "a bit stronger" than an M4 — it is a different league.

Energy estimated with the standard Gutenberg–Richter relation; an average lightning bolt ≈ 1 billion joules. Indicative values.

The race of the seismic waves

Two waves set off from the hypocentre: the faster P wave arrives first with a sharp jolt; the S wave carries the actual shaking.

P waves — the first sharp jolt (~6 km/s)S waves — the strongest shaking (~3.5 km/s)
t ≈ 24 s

Animation sped up ~4× compared to reality.

  • Manfredonia
    47 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~8 s
    main shaking in ~14 s
  • San Severo
    54 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~10 s
    main shaking in ~16 s
  • Foggia
    64 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~11 s
    main shaking in ~19 s
  • Cerignola
    82 km from the epicentre
    first tremor in ~14 s
    main shaking in ~24 s

Theoretical times with average crustal speeds: real values vary with geology. The gap between P and S waves is what earthquake early-warning systems rely on.

How deep it was born

18 km
medium depth
2 times the height of Mount Everest

At this depth the shaking is felt, but rarely causes damage.

in line with the area average (~15 km)

For the same magnitude, a shallow earthquake is felt much more than a deep one: the energy starts closer to the surface.

What kind of quake is this?

Aftershock

It is an aftershock: it follows a stronger quake (M2.8, 36 months ago) in the same area. Aftershocks are normal after an earthquake and tend to fade over time.

2.8
The mainshock
5 km North of Rodi Garganico
36 months ago · 4 Sept, 13:36
Activity in the area right now (30 km radius)
0
last 24 hours
1
last 7 days
4
last 30 days
9 before6 after
this quake
Strongest of the sequence2.8

How often does it happen here?

about every ~8 days

Within 50 km of this epicentre, a magnitude ≥ 2 earthquake has occurred on average this often: 522 events in the last 12 years of the INGV catalogue.

An average computed on the recent past: it tells how used this area is to shaking, not when the next quake will come — earthquakes cannot be predicted.

The great earthquakes in this area's history

Almost a thousand years of catalogues: the strongest documented events within ~50 km.

16466.7
Gargano earthquake
31 May 1646 · 15 km from here
XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
16576.0
Capitanata earthquake
29 January 1657 · 49 km from here
IX-XCompletely destructive: most buildings are destroyed.
18755.9
Gargano earthquake
6 December 1875 · 38 km from here
VIIIRuinous: partial collapses in ordinary buildings, widespread heavy damage.
14145.8
Gargano earthquake
1414 · 30 km from here
VIII-IXDestructive: many buildings partly or fully collapse.

Source: Parametric Catalogue of Italian Earthquakes CPTI15 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

The closest seismic structure

Tocco Casauria-Tremiti

The epicentre lies about 19 km from Tocco Casauria-Tremiti, one of the seismic structures mapped by INGV geologists.

estimated maximum magnitude 7.5between 11 and 20 km deep

Faults are mapped to build better and understand the territory: knowing them says nothing about when an earthquake will occur, which remains unpredictable. Source: DISS 3.3 (INGV, CC BY 4.0).

Other quakes in the area

1.5
36 months ago
14 Sept, 06:50
2.5
4 km North-West of Vico del Gargano
14 km South-East · 32 km
36 months ago
18 Sept, 07:06
1.2
3 km North of Monte Sant'Angelo
27 km South-East · 21 km
36 months ago
13 Sept, 09:01
2.2
14 km South of Isole Tremiti
24 km West · 11 km
36 months ago
18 Sept, 14:33
2.8
5 km North of Rodi Garganico
5 km South-East · 29 km
36 months ago
4 Sept, 13:36
2.4
23 km North of Rodi Garganico
14 km North · 22 km
36 months ago
27 Sept, 18:05
1.4
4 km South-East of Isole Tremiti
26 km North-West · 24 km
36 months ago
29 Sept, 03:32
2.0
5 km North of Rodi Garganico
4 km South · 27 km
36 months ago
1 Sept, 15:12
2.0
5 km North of Rodi Garganico
4 km South-East · 28 km
36 months ago
1 Sept, 00:47
1.9
36 months ago
31 Aug, 12:18

Data: INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (CC-BY 4.0)

Estimates computed by Meteare on INGV data (Gutenberg–Richter relation; Italian macroseismic intensity attenuation model).

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